Waitomo Airtruk




For your approval, I present this truly bizarre agricultural plane which flew first in 1965. Designed by expatriate Italian Luigi Pellarini and built in Austrailia, the Airtruk had twin tail booms, giant flaps and huge control surfaces. Versions were produced with radial and in-line engines. It was designed to be loaded from a tanker truck from behind with the engine running. A tiny cabin was provided for the pilot's assistant to be flown out to the jobsite. An Airtruk P.13 was featured at the end of "Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome". A handful of these aircraft are still working today! In it's defence it was a tough and reliable plane, one pilot had one of the tails torn off in a collision and landed safely. For pictures and specs, try Phil's Kiwi Aircraft page. On the aircraft list look for "Transavia".